SILVER SPRING – To provide new perspective on planning issues facing Montgomery County, the Planning Board will host two planners in the next month who will speak about how to translate visions to on-the-ground successes.
The presentations are part of the Planning Department’s speaker series – free, informative sessions about ways to forge great communities.
Michael La Place, Jr. and Eileen Fogarty, who have directed planning efforts on both coasts, will describe their successes in implementing plans that made a difference in communities from New Jersey to California.
On Wednesday, La Place, planning director for Passaic County, N.J., will present Planning for Heritage Tourism: The Byways Plan for Passaic County, N.J., as an example of how well-executed urban design can boost economic development and help build community identity. As planning director of Passaic County, La Place managed the plan, which played up historic assets as a successful economic tool.
During La Place’s tenure, the Passaic County Planning Department has won two state awards from the American Planning Association, including a smart growth award for transit-oriented design for a commuter rail corridor.
Fogarty’s talk, From Plan to Reality: How Everyone Benefits, is scheduled for February 26 and will focus on the transition from concepts to real change. As planning director in Santa Monica, Calif., and Alexandria, Va., Fogarty oversaw plans that resulted in thriving urban transit centers. The result: multiple transportation options in established neighborhoods that enhance, not detract, from the community’s quality of life.
In Alexandria, Fogarty led the development of Eisenhower East, a 238-acre, 17-million-square- foot urban town center within walking distance of two Metro stations. In Santa Cruz, she managed the rebuilding of the town after the major earthquake of 1989.
Who:
Michael La Place, Jr., planning director, Passaic County, N.J.
Eileen Fogarty, president, The Fogarty Group
What:
Planning Department speaker series presentations
When:
Michael La Place: 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 20
Eileen Fogarty: 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 26
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Learn more:
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